


What Vader Wants Most

by Ommallaredpanda



Series: The Miscellaneous Adventures of Vader Senior, Vader Junior and Vader Junior-ette [8]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: >:), Angst, BAMF Darth Vader, But Vader is worse, Darth Vader Redemption, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, For a bit anyway, Force Visions, I probably misrepresent PTSD pretty bad, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Obi-Wan Kenobi Lives, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Build, Sorry!, Suicide Attempt, Vader isn't happy, Whump, but like we get others in too don't worry, cus he is my fav, easily, kind of, like at all, obi-wan's casual relationship with the truth, poor guy, something for everyone here :), the skywalkers have no chill, very focused on mah boi DV, you betcha he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ommallaredpanda/pseuds/Ommallaredpanda
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't die on the Death Star. Instead, he continues to train Luke.On a Jedi field trip to a Sith temple, they are not the only ones around. They find a certain Sith, caught deep within a trap of the temple; in which the victim's desires are used against them, creating a perfect dream of everything they want. To remove the Sith and drag him back to the Alliance a prisoner, Obi-Wan and Luke must delve into this vision to drag their quarry out.AKA: Vader has a happy vision for once in his life, so Obi-Wan and his (Vader's) son team up to put an end to it. Because if our poor Ani is not dreadfully depressed for longer than a second the damn universe will explode.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Series: The Miscellaneous Adventures of Vader Senior, Vader Junior and Vader Junior-ette [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1495757
Comments: 55
Kudos: 285





	1. Finding

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was "V stuck in a happy vision cus sad feels". That is your warning.
> 
> Please enjoy ^-^

Obi-Wan had thought, perhaps, that visiting the Sith temple with his new padawan might have been a good idea. After all, the site was long abandoned, and made by a Sith regarded as a laughing stock by any historians still floating around. The ancient Force-wielder had made many large, theatrical objects, most of which had either refused to work or backfired spectacularly.

Therefore, even with his sketchy knowledge, Obi-Wan had thought him and Luke would be able to have a safe and educational Jedi field trip.

Upon arrival on the planet’s surface, this had appeared to be the case. As the two had manoeuvred carefully beneath the clouds, dodging the occasional rock formation, it had appeared exactly as expected.

Plants of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape – the usual seed planet mix of tall trees, with lower-lying shrubs swaying in a light breeze. Unlike other worlds he had visited, most of the fauna was a deep, dusky orange, blending in with the tall gorges of a very similar colour all around. If not for the bustling life, it would have looked very similar to Tatooine. Thankfully, there was bustling life; Obi-Wan didn’t think he would’ve been able to stand another second on _any_ desert planet. Force, he could understand his old padawan’s hatred of Tatooine. And sand.

“This is it?” Luke asked from beside him, both of them standing on a plateau, high up enough that the mountains and valleys laid out around them were shrouded in fog. Before them, the shelf of rock spread into the distance, with no discernible edge. But, breaking this horizon, the temple rose out of the ground – sharp angles and striking black stone.

Kenobi turned his face to the young man and smiled slightly. “Yes,” He said. “Whilst we are here, follow my lead and do everything I ask without hesitation.” Danger and warnings permeated the Force, which wasn’t unusual for structures such as this. The ancient Sith had been adept at twisting the Force to convey obscure messages of doom. But, you could never be too wary. “Reach out with the Force; what can you sense?”

Luke closed his eyes, face scrunching into an expression of concentration. Even with only a few weeks of training, the boy was progressing incredibly fast. Kenobi turned away. The child looked painfully like his father.

“Its… Dark?” His padawan opened his eyes again and squinted at the monolith. “There is… Pain. Loads of pain…” Luke winced.

Obi-Wan hummed, reaching into the Force again. The boy was right; wistful longing and pain permeated the dark aura of the building. That wasn’t too much of a surprise; temples like this had a knack for trapping unfortunates with little left to live for. Thankfully, most had been trapped for years, with little strength left to pose any sort of threat.

“You are right, son.” The Jedi stared out at the temple. The amount of darkness seeping from it was somewhat more than he had expected from a galactically-known failure, but he was confident that Luke would be able to handle it. His father had been doing similar things at half the age. “Be wary of traps and follow my lead.”

Luke nodded enthusiastically and walked after his master a couple of feet behind, looking about himself in wonder. After a life time of Tatooine, it wasn’t very surprising – if Kenobi hadn’t been concentrating on the Force, he would have found it endearing.

Surprisingly, the usual wall of furious Force energy was partly absent, with a few recently-destroyed tatters reaching out as malevolently as they could manage. Just before they came in range, Kenobi stopped, holding out an arm to make sure his charge didn’t continue, either. “Luke; there is a barrier here. Can you feel it?”

The farm boy’s eyes widened, and then scrunched closed again, the achingly familiar look of concentration back in force. Kenobi turned away, studying the pyramid before them. As usual for ancient structures, it was weathered, with holes in the wall every hundred metres. They wouldn’t have any trouble getting in.

“I… Yeah. It’s like a bunch of… Split rope? There’s a giant hole right in front of us.” Luke cocked his head curiously. “Is it supposed to be like that?” He asked, eyes opening once again, a confused blue. “Did someone break it, or something?”

Obi-Wan nodded, and then replied, since Luke was staring wonderingly at the air around him. “Yes, son. Probably within the last few weeks, too.”

“So they’re trapped in there?”

A weathered hand reached up to stroke his beard. “Without the correct training, certainly. And even then…”

Luke’s Force presence became concerned, “We need to help them!” He started forwards again, only to be stopped by Obi-Wan’s arm. “I can’t just leave whoever it is, Ben.”

“That is not what I’m suggesting, Luke,” Obi-Wan replied. “However, we cannot just blunder in. This place is of the Dark Side, it requires caution.” Slowly, his arm dropped, releasing his padawan. “For example, much further and those ‘ropes’ will snap your neck without proper protection.”

Luke turned back to staring at the air, this time with a more appropriate amount of fear. “Okay, yeah.” He backed up a step. Smart lad. “How do we get past it?”

“Centre yourself in peace, then reach to the Force, and wrap it around yourself,” Kenobi instructed as he constructed a shield about himself. It wouldn’t work against anything more powerful than an ancient, already weakened barrier, but it would do the trick this time around. “Imagine it as a protective blanket, keeping you safe.”

As his padawan worked, his presence became calmer, mellowing out from the previous knot of anxiety that had curled about him upon realisation that someone could be trapped. It was soothing to experience, and, once the boy was ready, a quick test of his newly constructed shields showed them to be appropriately strong. It would take a few more tries before he could do it without intense concentration, but the fact that he could do it at all sent a powerful swell of pride through Kenobi, which he immediately forced away. He had gotten overly attached last time, and look how that had ended up; best to remain as distant as possible. “That will work, Luke. Now, follow me through the gap in the barrier. Do not drop your shield.”

With that, Obi-Wan walked forward, the beacon of Light close behind him. About the two, the air shuddered under the invisible attack of Dark Side, deflected harmlessly. Luke shivered and shrunk in on himself, unconsciously hurrying to get closer to his teacher. The malevolence all about them was palpable; his first time truly experiencing it.

“Do not worry, young one. It shall not get through; your shields are strong,” Kenobi reassured from a few inches ahead, old form leaning slightly forwards, as if against strong wind. “Not far to go, now.”

Luke shuddered as he felt the tendrils reach for him again, but they were batted away. It was so _strange_ , being able to feel what was happening, but there being no visual sign of the battle he was fighting against the very _air_. Moments later, however, the pressure which had been shoving at him eased, leaving him to sprawl onto the floor, balance completely lost.

Kenobi had stopped a metre from the edge of the barrier. At the sound of Luke flopping onto the rock, he turned around, a wry smile twitching at the corners of his bearded mouth. “You did well.”

From his position sprawled on the floor, Luke laughed breathlessly, and then pulled himself up to a kneeling position. “At least I didn’t get eaten alive by those things,” He said, looking back at the supposedly-empty air. “Who could make something like that?”

“A Sith,” Obi-Wan said, eyes narrowing. “They use their hate and anger to wield the Dark Side of the Force.”

Luke shuddered. “I can’t imagine being that… _Twisted_!”

“It is hard to imagine.”

The Jedi offered his padawan a hand, which he accepted. Once Luke was on his feet, the two continued towards the base of the Sith temple, Kenobi alert for any more traps the ancient Sith had attempted to set. Thankfully, the tales of this particular Sith’s incompetence didn’t seem to be too exaggerated, and the few traps he did sense had become useless with age.

At last, they reached the pyramid’s base. Standing before a break in the dark wall, Luke peered in curiously whilst Obi-Wan scanned the Force for any potential dangers lurking ahead. From what they could see, the passage appeared decrepit. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and dust was mostly-undisturbed on every surface. Mostly.

“Someone’s been here!” Luke exclaimed upon noticing the large boot prints in the centimetre-thick layer. Whoever it was hadn’t even been trying to hide their presence; the marks were clear, and no effort had been made to disguise or hide them. “Looks like we missed them by a couple of weeks,” Luke said, crouching down and reaching in to swipe some of the dust which had settled back inside the print. He looked up to Obi-Wan. “You think it’s the same person who tore down the barrier?”

Kenobi stroked his beard again, considering. “I would be surprised if it were not.” He stepped inside the building, carefully manoeuvring his weary bones over the broken rocks. “There are no tracks leading out again…”

“They’re stuck in there?” Luke said, more of a rhetorical question than anything else, but Kenobi answered anyway.

“Unless they exited a different way, then it is likely.” Kenobi looked about the hallway, taking it all in. The usual Sith markings decorated every wall, the edges worn away by countless years of exposure. “Stay close; anyone who can break that barrier could be a danger to us.” The old Jedi waited for his charge to stand, then, with a nudge from the Force, started right down the corridor.

+++

It felt like they had been walking, aimlessly, for hours when Ben finally stopped, probably sensing Luke’s exhaustion. Force knew how the old man managed to keep up such a pace. He could really move when he wanted to. Before he could even be told they were taking a break, Luke flopped down to sit, leant against the dark stone wall. “How in the _stars_ can you just keep walking like that?”

Kenobi did not look impressed. At the opposite wall of the corridor, he slowly set himself down, pulling his hood away from his face and running a hand over his balding head. “You will build your stamina soon enough, Luke.”

“But we’ve just been walking! I should be fine; I grew up on a _farm_.” Luke rebutted sullenly.

Ben smiled indulgently. “This place is shrouded in the Dark Side. If you are new to the Force, it can sap your energy, as it seems to have been doing to you, my boy.”

“Can’t you stop it? Sense it?”

“Only with extensive training and power can you consciously guard against and detect such a small drain. You are only noticing it because of the time we have spent here,” Kenobi replied. “You have been automatically fending it off surprisingly well.”

Luke mulled over that knowledge for a moment. “How close do you think we’re getting to that person…?” He eventually asked, studying the floor yet again, as if hoping that the footprints would magically reappear.

With a sigh, Obi-Wan reached into his backpack, retrieving two ration bars. “It is impossible to tell with the Force so clouded, but we may run into them soon enough.” He threw one to Luke, who curled his lip at the food, but ripped the packaging open and took a bite anyway. “Be wary.”

“Why? We’re gonna be helping them.”

“Some people may need help, but will not accept it.” Obi-Wan began to crunch into his bar. “Your new friend, the smuggler, comes to mind.”

Luke smirked, “Han?” He said. “Yeah, he’s the type. What do you think the odds are for Leia to have killed him and buried the body by the time we get back?”

“Lower than you might expect,” Kenobi replied, his smile knowing. “Those two have got chemistry.”

“Yeah, like a neutron bomb!” Luke snorted, but with an answering grin. “It could go either way.”

The old man searched around in his bag, eventually pulling out his PADD, which looked almost as ancient as its owner. Curiously, Luke watched as his mentor navigated the device. He couldn’t imagine why it had been brought anyway; he doubted the depths of a Sith temple had very good reception. Then, Obi-Wan leant forward, holding it out. Luke, surprised, took the object, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Kenobi simply made a go-ahead-and-look gesture.

He glanced down, only to freeze. An oddly familiar couple stared out at him from the screen. He couldn’t tell where he knew them from, but the two looked deeply in love, even when obviously surprised by the cameraman. “Who are they?” He asked, softly, looking back up at his mentor.

Obi-Wan sighed. It was a sound as old and weary as he looked. “They are your parents.”

Luke’s eyes widened and he didn’t waste any time gazing back down at the two faces. “They look so _happy_ …”

Missed by the young Skywalker, Kenobi watched him wistfully, nodding in agreement with his assessment. “Indeed they were.”

Silence descended. Luke couldn’t tear his eyes away from the image he had been given.

The woman was caught mid-motion, her smile easy and relaxed. Her entire body was angled toward the man on her right, with eyes crinkled from the aftermath of laughter. Overall; Luke couldn’t think of a more perfect woman to have as a mother. She looked caring, yet ready to fight for her beliefs in a strange cross between senatorial robes and a spacer’s favourite fire-fight ensemble. His father appeared similar, with blond hair and blue eyes, similar enough to his own it was like an odd mirror version of himself. He had to be Anakin Skywalker. It was strange to be suddenly faced with the man, after years of having to imagine his appearance. Strangely, his daydreams as a young boy had been quite accurate. His father seemed less surprised by the picture being taken, and was still looking at Luke’s mother, a gentle smile displayed on his face betraying utter devotion.

“If they were so happy… Why did they leave me?” Luke asked, eventually. “Did I ruin it? Did they not want me?”

Obi-Wan stared at him, floored by the sudden change in direction their conversation had taken. “Luke; believe me when I say you were wanted. Your father… He went mad when he thought you died.”

“What…?”

Kenobi sighed. “Your father believed you died in child birth. There was no time to correct him before Vader betrayed us and murdered your father… You were _very_ wanted, Luke. Do not _ever_ think otherwise.”

Thankfully, the child accepted it, and returned to studying the faces of his parents. “I just wish they were still around…” He mumbled to himself.

“Me too, son. Me too.”

There wasn’t much to be said after that.

+++

After a half hour of rest, the two had gotten back to their feet, continuing to explore the ancient temple. Every so often, Obi-Wan would remind his padawan to reach out with the Force – this was meant to be a learning exercise, after all. If the boy could locate whoever it was, then that would be an extra bonus. Picking up on signatures whilst everything was shrouded with the Dark was no easy feat.

Every so often, they would come to a junction. At these, Oni-Wan made a point of waiting, stretching his senses out as far as he could, despite their oppressive surroundings, to search for a hint of where they should go. Luke tried his best to copy and, if he managed to come up with a direction from the Force, they would follow it.

However, at least two hours from their last stop, with even the experienced Jedi beginning to feel strain from continued exposure to the Dark, Luke halted. He stiffened, looking as if someone had replaced his spine with a durasteel rod. Luke’s eyes were fixed on the wall directly next to him. He turned to face it completely, brows furrowed.

“Luke?” Obi-Wan walked back to stand by him, “What is it?”

“Can’t you feel it?” He said, sounding surprised. “We need to get through this wall.”

Kenobi had no idea how they were going to manage _that_ , and made his opinion quite clear. Because, despite the cracks and seeming fragility of the wall, he had no doubt that it was still nearly a metre thick. As a General of the Clone Wars, he would have been able to shift these rocks, if with some effort, but now, after nineteen years stranded on Tatooine? After not using his abilities for nearly _two decades_ , the task seemed far harder. “And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that?” He could feel some of that long-buried sarcasm creeping back into his voice.

Luke seemed to be genuinely considering his question. Then, without warning, he whipped out his ‘sabre, activated it and plunged it into the wall. Force, he had forgotten how irritable that Skywalker rashness was.

“What are you _doing_?!” He hissed, grasping his charge’s shoulder

Luke glanced back at his mentor, confusion on his face and he faltered. “Cutting through the wall…? Should I stop?”

Kenobi reached out, his attention firmly on the large bricks before them trying to determine if something truly awful were to happen should his reckless padawan succeed. “No… But, check before you do this next time.”

Luke nodded and returned to carving a hole for them. “Can you feel them on the other side?”

Again, the Jedi reached out, this time focusing more on living signatures. To his surprise, a _very_ distinct presence immediately shoved its way into his mind. Despite not having felt it in two decades, it was recognisable. If only barely.

The mind he brushed against was vast and crumbling, remnants of a once-great man. Everything was wrapped in dangerous cords of Darkness, spiralling out from a diseased centre. It was… _Horrifying_. He could _not_ allow Luke come into contact with that _monster_ , related or not.

Without bothering to try and read the situation any further than that, Obi-Wan stumbled backwards, automatically putting distance between him and the monster. Even trying his best to disconnect from the Force, he could still feel that presence. It didn’t seem to want to let go. “Luke!” He managed to gasp out, “Stop! _Now_!!”

But it was already too late; the wall was crumbling, even as the boy deactivated his lightsabre. Stones tumbled out, leading to a cascade, until the wall had tumbled out up to halfway down the hallway, the sound of crumbling rock deafening after the silence of preceding hours.

“Get away from there!!” Obi-Wan frantically shout-whispered, something in his tone making his padawan move without hesitation until he was in relative safety hidden behind Kenobi.

As the dust settled, they got their first good look into the adjacent corridor. Similar to the ones they had been traversing, but with noticeable differences. The first was the rubble littered over the place – dark pieces looming up, some as large as Luke, with ominously sharp edges. Dust coated every surface, not unlike the rest of the temple, but this time it swirled about every so often, as if moved by a great beast’s breathing. Which, apparently, wasn’t the wrong impression. As the last pieces clinked to the floor, echoing, slow, far-too-familiar breathing slowly emerged from the utter silence.

It would cease for what felt like an age, and then the sound would appear again. A deathly ghost rattle. It stirred the dust into eddies, allowing it to almost settle, sometimes, before swirling it up again, the motes gathering in swirling clouds about the kneeling figure.

Luke knew who this had to be. He couldn’t imagine anyone else making his tutor react so strongly. But it was hard to believe.

His father’s murderer couldn’t be like this.

The man hadn’t moved from his position; kneeling. Vulnerable.

It would be a simple thing to decapitate him. To cuff him, turn him over to the Alliance. To fucking _destroy_ this murdering, emotionless, traitorous _bastard_.

He wanted to. Luke really wanted to.

He could imagine the feeling of completed revenge as Vader’s head left his body.

Could imagine the relief it would bring the population of the Galaxy, to be rid of this tyrant.

He moved. Without thinking, his hand, still holding his ‘sabre, rose, thumb hovering over the switch. He couldn’t remember flicking it on, but then the weapon’s hum vibrated his arm, bathing the dark room in a cold blue glow, illuminating his target’s still form. A single step and swing was all it would take-

“Stop!”

Luke froze, blade held above his head, poised to swing down.

Obi-Wan Kenobi did not know why he had called out. This was what he wanted. What he had planned for, painstakingly, for _years_. Vader (his _padawan_ ) was too dangerous to be kept alive. All of this was retribution for his own weakness. He should have stopped all of this. He could not. Luke could.

But.

_But_ , the idea of that terrible presence snuffing out permanently… He couldn’t. He just… “Stop.” Kenobi repeated, voice barely above a whisper, hand reaching up to clasp his friend’s son’s wrist, lowering the arm.

“Ben?” Luke asked, confused, looking up at him, so full of trust. “But that’s-”

“I know who it is.”

They stood stock-still. As time passed, the behemoth didn’t move. The singular indication of his continued life was the mechanical, dreaded breathing. Even his presence in the Force was muted, upon closer inspection, as if deep asleep. It explained why Kenobi hadn’t detected him upon entering the planet’s atmosphere.

“… What do we do?” Luke eventually asked, deactivating his ‘sabre, but keeping it firmly in his grip.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, assessing the situation. They couldn’t kill Vader. That didn’t mean Vader couldn’t kill them. “Tie him up. I will find out why he appears to be comatose,” He said, swinging his bag from his shoulder. Quickly rooting through the meagre contents, he procured the tow cable he had brought upon the Force’s insistence. At least this all seemed to be planned, if not by them. He held the metal cable out to Luke, who took it and began to wrap it about his fa- Vader.

He couldn’t start confusing his former padawan and this monster. Not now. He had to remain strong if he wanted to get Luke through alive and unharmed. And without him turning to the Dark.

With renewed resolve, Obi-Wan studied Darth Vader, kneeling in the dirt, with a sense of grim satisfaction. But, he wasn’t there to gloat. The Jedi turned his concentration to the Force once again. Perhaps it could provide answers.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into the presence of the Sith before him, trying to figure out what was going on. He ignored the suffocating Darkness and pain as best he could, studying the intricate patterns of the cyborg’s mind.

The surface was calm, like a lake on Naboo. Beneath that, however, the waters of the Sith’s mind were muddied and swirling. There was a specific emotion to it, but he couldn’t pin it down. Anger and hate was a good guess, even if it seemed wrong. After what felt like far too long, the seemingly random and chaotic mess seemed to resolve into something that made sense.

The Imperial’s conscious mind was barely inside his body.

Swirling emotions remained there, but there were no thoughts. Faint trails of an intelligent, conscious mind pulled him through the man’s arm, down until it reached a stump, through the metal and into the wall, where his hand rested.

Obi-Wan’s eyes shot open, immediately glaring at the shadow-shrouded stones. “Luke; don’t touch the wall,” He said, a quick warning. If whatever this was could incapacitate _Vader_ , he didn’t want the boy anywhere near it.

Luke nodded absent-mindedly, still focused on tying up the Sith. He appeared to be running out of cable.

Waiting for his padawan to finish, Kenobi wracked his mind for any mention of traps like these in Sith temples. What could it be? There were so many.

Then it hit him.

This was Vader they were talking about – the most powerful Force user to ever be born. But, one of the most attached. In the ancient texts he had been made to read whilst studying at the Jedi Temple, there had been a few mentions of traps which, once triggered, used the victim’s greatest emotional attachments and wants against them. Combined, these two factors would keep anyone trapped within, slowly draining the Force from the individual, like a living battery. Only a few Jedi had managed to escape these over the years, and they had been the ones who had managed to completely distance themselves from everything. Yoda was a perfect example. Ana- _Vader_ , however, was certainly not.

How the apparent _failure_ of a Sith who built this temple had managed such a complex working was utterly beyond him.

“I know what it is,” Obi-Wan said, looking over at Luke, only to see the young man stepping back from a thoroughly bound Sith Lord.

He smiled and nodded to himself, satisfied, then turned his attention back to his mentor. “I’m guessing something quite nasty.”

“That is one description I would use.” Kenobi ran a hand over his face. “It is a… _Desires_ trap. The victim’s greatest wants and attachments are used against them. The trap creates a reality where the person will be with their most loved, doing what they wish. It is, essentially, the perfect dream.”

Luke had a vague look of disgust on his face. “I do _not_ want to know what Darth fucking _Vader’s_ greatest desires are.”

“Neither do I,” Obi-Wan said. He didn’t want to see the destruction of the Jedi yet again. Once had been painful enough.

“How do we get him out of it?”

_That_ was a good question. None of the texts he had read ever said – or his age was catching up with him. But, if it was the wall which was causing this, then perhaps breaking contact would free the Sith? It was worth a try. So, with a quick warning to Luke as to his plan, the Jedi gripped the prosthetic forearm and yanked it from the wall.

Nothing happened.

Crap. They were going to have to go in there, weren’t they? Nothing was ever simple, was it? Force-damned Skywalkers.

Luke sighed, as if picking up on his mentor’s apprehension. Which was very likely. “I’m not going to like what we have to do, am I?”

“I would be surprised if _anyone_ would like it,” Obi-Wan said. “We have to go into the vision with him. Convince him it is fake.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Luke said apprehensively.

“We should not be in danger, so long as our physical bodies are safe.”

The young Skywalker pulled a face, “That’s reassuring. How do we do this?”

Obi-Wan sat, his legs crossing into the lotus. Luke attempted to follow his lead, but ended up simply crossing his legs after a few failed attempts. “Reach into the Force.” The boy’s eyes drifted closed, the familiar look of concentration slowly mellowing out into one of peace. “You will be able to feel Vader’s presence. Flow into it, follow his consciousness,” As he spoke, Kenobi felt himself slipping into meditation, intimately aware of the Sith’s mind, so close to him. “Let it take you, and you shall find yourself in the vision.”

Following his own instructions, the Jedi immersed himself in Vader’s mind, doing his best to ignore the haunting familiarity of it. Thankfully, the currents of consciousness were incredibly strong, battering him relentlessly towards that point where Vader was submerged in whatever dream world made him happiest.

+++


	2. Vader Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
> Right, so the interesting stuff starts here! Warning: I hope you looked at the tags. Because there may be some trigger-warning-worthy content in here.  
> I hope its not too bad, but keep yourself safe, okay?

His entrance into the vision was sudden, with no elaborate smoke or sound. One moment, Obi-Wan was sitting on the cold stone floor of a Sith temple, the next he was opening his eyes on a great meadow.

Immediately upon entering into the world, Luke appeared before him, a relieved smile on his face, “It worked!” Then, he seemed to realise the consequences. “We’re in Vader’s vision…?” The lad stared, confusion evident on his face. “But this doesn’t look too bad.”

That assessment was quite apt. Nothing but tall grass stretched out in every direction, broken only by collections of blooming flowers of all different colours: green, blue, purple, red. It was peaceful. There were no sounds of pain or war, just the grasses brushing against each other, leaves rustling together. Pollinators buzzed from plant to plant and birds hopped along with them, tweeting softly in the background.

It was the exact opposite of what he’d been expecting from a Dark Lord of the Sith. Especially this particular Dark Lord of the Sith, and Second in Command of the Galactic Empire. Not to forget Exterminator of the Jedi.

Now, in amongst all the peace and lovely scenery, they had to find Vader.

Which, given that this was a vision, could be harder than what you would initially think.

Obi-Wan glanced down to his charge, amused by the look of awe upon his face at the amount of plants and greenery. Anakin had been like that too, at first. He shoved the thought away. “We should search for Vader.”

“Split up?”

Kenobi sighed. The boy had been watching too many holos. “No; we’re searching for a _Sith_. Even if he can’t physically harm us, do _not_ assume that he isn’t dangerous.”

Luke nodded gravely, but couldn’t keep himself focussed with the abundance of natural wealth about him. “Where should we start?” He eventually asked.

That was the problem. A vision like this could be too large to try and search conventionally. “Use your feelings, Luke. Try to sense Vader.”

It wasn’t the best plan, but they didn’t have any other options. Potentially, using the Force to detect him would let Vader know they were coming. Or, he had been able to pin-point their location the moment they set metaphorical foot inside his mind. There was no way of knowing.

“This way!” Luke said, his voice interrupted Obi-Wan’s internal musings. That was fast.

Without waiting for his mentor, the padawan turned to look north, a grim look on his face. “Are you sure he can’t hurt us?” The fear in his voice was disguised, but Obi-Wan heard it nonetheless. At least the boy had a sense of self-preservation

“No, but it is unlikely,” Kenobi said. He walked to stand next to Luke, placing his weathered hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. If he _can_ attack us, he will go for me first.” Luke snorted, spirits lightened somewhat.

With that, Obi-Wan took the lead, wading through the grass. In places, it reached to his waist, fronds obscuring the ground. Thankfully, the Sith’s vision appeared to be benign – at least the part they were travelling through – so there were no protruding roots or man-eating beetles lurking out of sight.

However, once they began walking, the meadow didn’t last for very long. Soon the long grass and swaying flowers began to grow shorter, only noticeable once you turned back. Ahead of them, a dwelling rose out of the scenery. The shape was oddly reminiscent of the domed huts on Tatooine, but it somehow fit the world. Naboo, probably.

Luke saw it at the same moment he did, his brows furrowing. “That doesn’t make sense,” He said. “Why would Vader have-”

“I don’t know, son.” Obi-Wan interrupted. That could be a dangerous line of questioning.

Even from a distance, the scene was quite beautiful – as calm as the rest. White pourstone dome rose out of the grass, yet without looking too out of place. About it, flowers bloomed in neat little rows, obviously well cared for. In the distance, behind the building, a herd of large creatures grazed beneath a towering tree, their lowing calls occasionally drifting across.

Despite the soothing imagery, something about the homestead felt off. Reaching into the Force, Obi-Wan quickly discovered what that was. Vader was there.

He appeared to be making absolutely no attempt to hide his presence. It was just lurking inside the building, strangely small and unthreatening. The usual hateful shrouds which obscured a Sith’s mind were almost non-existent, replaced by a strange, constantly-swirling maelstrom of unadulterated love and simple joy. It was still Dark – enough so that even briefly touching the mind left Obi-Wan feeling tainted – but the emotion was not hatred. Hatred was barely even there.

How was that even _possible_?! Sith were monstrous killing machines with no concept of the finer elements of life! Vader could not be any better: he was cruel, conceited and _evi_ -

“Does he know we’re here?” Luke said, his voice low, as if scared the Sith would hear them. The Jedi started, pulled from his thoughts. He had to calm down.

Due to their lack of crushed wind pipes, Obi-Wan guessed; “No, I don’t think so…” Then again, that would be out of character for Vader. Well, the man he had known nearly two decades ago, at any rate.

Reassured, Luke started forward, a determined set to his face. Kenobi followed behind, if more wary. He had no idea how this would go. In fact, a pile of dead Jedi might have been preferable to this; at least he would know what was going on, then. None of this lined up with what he knew of Darth Vader. None of it.

A gorgeous meadow, undisturbed by war and bloodshed? A clearly well-worn and loved home, in the middle of said meadow? It didn’t make sense. Vader had single-handedly decimated the most powerful culture on record for what seemed to be no reason whatsoever, except perhaps not feeling trusted or special enough. The man was a twisted, sick monster with no concept of love; why was _this_ his most treasured desire? Why was _peace_ something he wanted most?!

The closer they got, the more nervous Kenobi became. It didn’t make _any_ sense. And if it didn’t make sense, he couldn’t predict what would happen. Which meant he couldn’t protect Luke. He _had_ to protect Luke. He refused to fail another padawan. With that in mind, he caught up to his charge and overtook, stopping a few feet from the entrance to the dome. Behind him, Luke gazed at the familiar home, grief suddenly at the forefront of his mind. Of course; he had lost his carers only a few weeks ago.

Before the Jedi could reach out to console his charge, Luke pulled himself together, face setting into a determined glower.

At the pair’s feet, flowers, familiar from the meadow behind them, grew in carefully cultivated little rows, each one precisely spaced from the others. If not for their delicacy, they would have reminded Obi-Wan of soldiers. The dome rose above, perhaps a head taller than the Jedi, maintained pourstone a soft off-white, small cracks only visible from up close, showed the home to be well-used. Rounding the building, Kenobi came upon an entrance – a simple arched doorway, steps leading down. Behind him, Luke peered over his shoulder, curious, yet still wary of what they could be facing.

The palpable aura of hesitation coming from himself and his padawan was a direct juxtaposition to their calm surroundings, setting Obi-Wan’s teeth on edge.

“Promise me, that if I am attacked, you will run.” Obi-Wan said, his voice pitched low.

He didn’t need to be able to see the boy’s face to know the sort of look he pulled at that demand. “Fine,” Luke grumbled out, “But only if I can’t help you.”

It was unlikely prodding him would get a better arrangement, so Kenobi steeled himself. Perhaps this was where the atrocities would start.

Trying his best not to think on what he was doing, what he could be leading his padawan into; Obi-Wan descended the first step. Beneath his boot, it was dipped in the middle – well worn. The smooth pourstone sloped downward over his head, leading the tunnel on. The next step, and the next. Where was Vader?

At his back, Luke’s breathing was audible in the confined space. Even with the stairwell illuminated, it felt claustrophobic, especially given the presence looming before them. At the bottom, the tunnel widened out, showing a snapshot of a room.

Vader had to be in there.

Obi-Wan continued, cautiously feeling out each step before he took it – he did not want to activate any traps. They were within the mind of a Sith; nothing could be left to chance, especially with Luke only a step behind.

Within inches of entering the room, Kenobi paused, attempting, for the final time, to pinpoint Vader’s position. Once again, there was no way to know for certain.

So, with nothing left to do but step out into the room, Obi-Wan took a breath and did so.

As with the outside, the dome interior closely mimicked the Lars’ homestead. Pourstone made up the floor, walls and ceiling, whilst an oak table sat in the centre, mechanical clutter mixing with children’s toys and intricate headpieces.

However, Obi-Wan’s attention was immediately drawn to the man on their left, casually leaning against the wall. There was no mistaking his identity.

He wore dark, relatively loose Jedi robes, which sent a pang through Kenobi. Thankfully, that was where any similarities between this _monster_ and his old friend ended.

Vader was horribly scarred. Not a hair grew on his head, and his eyebrows had done no better. Each raised portion was sickly pale, clashing with the walls and his clothing. From beneath the dark robes, mechanical limbs held him upright – great durasteel hunks, unrefined and ancient-looking. Gleaming in the soft interior lighting, each movement was visible. Instead of simply standing there, as Obi-Wan had first thought, Vader held a small tool in his left hand, what remained of his brows furrowed deeply as he concentrated, glaring at his right prosthetic arm. Each miniscule movement of his fingers shifted the metal, creating a rather fascinating view into the cybernetic as it moved, pistons imitating tendons.

It was strange; the contrast of Vader’s serene surroundings clashed with the man, disrupting any sense of peace without seeming to try.

Kenobi stood stock still as he studied the Sith.

Luke, unfortunately, didn’t have as much restraint.

The padawan squeezed around his tutor, stepped into the room and stopped. But, it was enough. Vader’s head swung up, piercing, cold blue eyes focused on Luke, fist tightened about the tool. His head cocked, a slightly puzzled look crossed his face, followed by another emotion; this one harder to puzzle out. “Who are you?” His mouth formed the words, pushed them out with an unnatural, Imperial hiss. The voice was distorted with simmering anger, but still recognisable. “What are you doing here?”

Luke didn’t know what to say. His mouth worked – from where Obi-Wan was standing, he could see the muscles in his jaw bunching under the skin. The silence after Vader’s words couldn’t be more complete – his wheezing breaths were ominously audible, metallic clinking from his limbs a strange accompaniment.

Breaking the silence; laughter.

Vader’s back straightened, his head turned and his expression melted. The hard curl of his lips smoothed out, eyes became warmer, and even the imposing metal limbs somehow became less threatening.

Two children burst into the room, one with light, sun bleached hair, and the other possessed a head of brunette locks. Both were the same height – only a few inches shorter than Luke and had no discernible features. It was as if their faces were blurred; their voices too.

“Daddy?” One called out, their head swivelling as they searched. The other seemed to see Vader first and tugged on their sibling, and both ran to the Sith. If not for the shock permeating Obi-Wan, rooting him to the spot, he would have warned the children away. “Daddy!” They both exclaimed joyously, arms wrapping about Vader’s metallic legs.

It was as if watching a ghost – the Sith seemed to completely forget their existence once the children entered his vision. He bent down, a smile spreading, eyes burning into a strangely pleasant gold as his entire face seemed to light up, as if glowing from the inside. “Yes, young ones?” He said.

The Outer Rim accent sent a spike through Obi-Wan’s heart. He stumbled backwards, hand shooting out to catch himself on the wall. Vader didn’t notice, and neither did Luke, enraptured with the scene playing out before them.

“Mummy says she needs help with moving somethin’,” One of the two said, tugging on Vader’s clothing. The man didn’t resist, and was led away by the two children. The strange group walked around the table and headed through a doorway and quickly disappeared from view.

Once they were gone, Luke seemed to return to himself and reached out for Obi-Wan, a concerned look on his face. “Ben?” He said, “Ben, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, son,” Kenobi managed to reply. “It’s just seeing him again…”

Luke scowled, “That’s Vader, isn’t it?” The Jedi nodded. “We’ll get him, Ben. He’ll pay for killing my father.”

Force, their situation was _not_ looking good. “Let’s just observe for now,” Obi-Wan stood upright again, careful to hide his hands deep within his sleeves. It wouldn’t be good for the young man to see them trembling. “Perhaps we shall find some useful information.”

Luke nodded again. “He’s probably got loads of Imperial secrets locked up in here,” The boy looked about.

“Probably.” Obi-Wan started towards the doorway, motioned for his padawan to follow close behind. Upon poking his head around the corner, Kenobi deemed it safe to continue into the next room. Because, whilst he was constantly aware of _who’s_ mind they were inhabiting, he couldn’t envision the scene before them becoming deadly any time soon.

It was a classic kitchen – oven, stove, small table, fridge, counters. About the table pushed against the cramped room’s wall were Padmé, Ahsoka and far younger-looking Obi-Wan. Rex’s helmet and blasters sat on the table – Ahsoka was quietly cleaning them. Seeing the familiar group was like a vicious kick to the gut.

Ahead of Luke and Kenobi was Vader with his two escorts, pulling him towards where Padmé sat.

“Mummy!” The blond said, “Mummy, we got Daddy.”

Brunette spoke up, interrupting their sibling; “He was guarding the door like you said.”

Padmé smiled indulgently, “Thank you for getting Daddy for me, ___ and ___.” The children’s names were garbled, played in reverse. She ruffled their hair, then looked up to Vader. Hugged him. “Anakin, you know you don’t have to just sit in the dining room all day, don’t you? We’re safe here; there’s no need.”

“I couldn’t lose you again, Padmé,” Vader returned the embrace, speaking into her hair. After a moment, the two broke apart. “The kids said you needed something moving?”

She rolled her eyes. “They didn’t want to do it themselves, you mean.”

“Snips didn’t want to help, either?” Vader glanced over at his former padawan, now with lekku stretching down to her waist, and montrals which were level with his eyes.

Ahsoka looked up from her cleaning with a playful scowl. “Just because I have the Force doesn’t mean I’m just going to do all your kids’ chores, Skyguy!”

“You damn _count_ as one of my kids at this point, my young padawan,” Vader replied, his smile genuine. “Now,” He turned back to his wife, “What was this heavy object?”

Padmé sighed. “Rex was fooling around with Artoo’s boosters again. And now Threepio’s stuck in the tree.”

“… _How_ -?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Okay…” Vader shrugged. “I’ll save him for you, don’t worry.”

The senator smirked, “Oh, my _Hero_. Want to watch some of those old _Hero With No Fear_ holos as a reward, later?”

Vader made a face, “One of your smiles would be reward enough, milady.”

Padmé chuckled and beamed up at her husband. “Good enough for you?”

“With a smile like that, you get the next Threepio-saving free,” He leant down and placed a peck on her cheek, waved to the children and vision Obi-Wan sat about the table, then ducked through the next doorway, disappearing into bright light streaming through.

The real Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker stood just inside the kitchen, looks of utter confusion obvious on both faces.

“His greatest desire is to… get Threepio out of a tree?” Luke eventually broke the silence, voice pitched low. “But this is _Darth Vader_ how can that be righ-”

“No, Luke. He is… _protecting_ these people…” Oh, that made sense. That made too much sense. _Force_ , what had he done? _This_ had been so easily achievable… Except it hadn’t; not really. _Why_ had Anakin turned?! Why was _this_ what he wanted most?

The farm boy slowly stepped into the room, until he was standing directly behind Ahsoka. He cautiously reached out and waved a hand in front of her face, but the Togruta didn’t pause cleaning Rex’s blaster. She didn’t even blink. “Huh, so they really can’t see us? How come Vader…?”

“I don’t know, son,” Obi-Wan managed to say, still reeling.

“Who _are_ these people?” Luke was moving again, peering into Ahsoka’s face, then the blond child. “If they’re real, maybe we can use them against Vader?” Finally he turned to Padmé and froze. Kenobi watched with a mix of horror and resignation as recognition crossed his padawan’s face. “I… know her…”

Would it be better to tell the child, or let him figure it out? Because there was not much of a chance that Luke would leave such a vision without a certain tit-bit of knowledge, especially with how… _Anakin_ the whole thing had turned out to be.

Best to rip the bacta off. “She’s your-”

He couldn’t say it.

“She’s my what?” Luke was looking at him, expression open and confused. He deserved to know. He deserved to learn from his mentor, not _Vader_.

But he couldn’t. It hurt, trying to think like that; of Anakin and Vader and Padmé. It would be excruciating to admit it out loud. If he didn’t say it, if others didn’t know, it felt less real. “-Nurse. When you were a baby, she looked after you until you could be moved to Tatooine.”

Luke accepted it without protest. What reason had he to doubt ‘Old Ben’? The deception – _lie_ – felt like swallowing sand.

“What’s her name?”

“Padmé Naberrie. She and your father were… friends.” They had to move on. Ahsoka’s bent head and Rex’s battle-worn helmet seemed to be taunting him from the corner of his eye. “Let’s follow Vader.” Obi-Wan said and all but fled the room, not waiting for Luke.

+++

It took some time to find the Sith. However, when they did, he hadn’t yet managed to extricate Threepio from his situation. Which was, as Padmé had described, stuck in a tree. With R2-D2 and Rex sat at the bottom, chortling to themselves.

Artoo was well-cared for, without a scorch mark or clot of dirt to be found on his rotund metal body – upon seeing the little droid, Luke’s mouth fell open.

“Vader knows Artoo?!” He whisper-shouted. Once he looked up and spied the golden protocol droid, however, his jaw almost hit the ground, “That’s impossible…!”

Before Obi-Wan could think up another falsehood to quiet his charge’s mind, Vader interrupted, quite loudly. “ _Threepio_ ,” He sighed exasperatedly. “Just jump! I’ll catch you! _How_ many times did we do this in the Clone Wars?”

“Far too many! My _goodness_ , how can you ask me to throw myself from a tree like this, Master Ani?!” Threepio seemed to be having none of it. “Oh, you might as well ask me to- to- get captured by Jawas!!”

Rex, taking a break from snickering, leant forwards to peer up at the droid. “If you can’t even get out of a _tree_ , ‘Master Ani’ might sell you to the damn Jawas!” At the sound of distress C-3PO made, the clone snorted again.

“Look, Threepio, either you jump or I get up there and push you.” Vader attempted to reason, holding out his metal arms in a way that was probably supposed to be inviting. And failed miserably. Because those prosthetics were quite infamous in the Rebellion for being able to crush your trachea. And your blaster. And armour, too.

Whilst the protocol droid seemed to be thinking it over, Artoo let out a flurry of beeps and whistles. Thankfully, whatever he had said seemed to be quite convincing. “All right, all right!” Threepio exclaimed, waving his arms about robotically. “But if I am destroyed and repurposed into a- _toaster_ , it’s all your fault, Artoo!” With that, Threepio less jumped, more _fell_ from the tree, wailing as he went.

Vader effortlessly caught him with the Force about a metre from the ground, rotated the droid carefully, and then set him down with a soft thump. “ _There_ ,” He said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“It was _awful_!!” The droid complained, hands waving even more. “I probably fried enough circuits to-”

“So; you’re fine, then,” Vader cut in with a smirk. He then turned to Rex, “I’m going to go and make ___ and ___ something to eat. You want anything?”

Without much thought, the clone shrugged, “I’d appreciate lunch for me and Ahsoka, General.”

“Still teaching her to shoot that blaster?”

Rex grinned as he shoved himself upright, “I’ll make a trooper out of her yet.”

“I’ll make you two something, just be back before it gets _too_ dark, okay, Rex?”

“Yes, General!” He snapped off a salute, which received a relaxed one in turn from Vader. The Sith spun on his heel, job done, to return to the homestead. Leaving the two Jedi, still in quite the state of shock, to stare after his retreating form.

Luke turned to his tutor with a face which screamed _what_ -did-we-just-witness. “… Should we follow him?”

Obi-Wan slowly nodded, taking a last look at Rex, and then walked after Vader. He was tiring of this little game. Was the Sith purposefully doing this, just to show him what could have been? Was it some form of sick torture?

But; that didn’t seem _right_. Something was very wrong with the whole ordeal.

The two followed a few metres behind Vader. Around them, the large herd animals milled, browsing on the short grass, but parting before the three with little thought. They were unlike anything Obi-Wan had seen before – with scaled greenish skin and wide black eyes set in the sides of their head. He was quite sure that, whatever these creatures were, they didn’t originate on Naboo.

Suddenly, Vader stopped.

At first, Kenobi thought he was going to turn, glower at them, maybe attack. So, he stepped forward, placed himself between the Sith Lord and Luke, hand automatically searching for his lightsabre, which apparently hadn’t made it into the vision.

However, the cyborg simply brought a metallic hand to his temple, head bowed and body tense. As if responding to whatever had happened, the world about them began shuddering; at first they were small tremors, but they swiftly grew until the ground was convulsing violently. Vader let out a soft snarl and dropped to his knees, other hand coming up to clasp his head, bowing forward until his nose was nearly in the dirt.

Luke, stumbling as he tried to remain upright, clung to Obi-Wan. “What’s happening?!” He yelped, panic suffused his voice.

Kenobi didn’t have much of an idea, either, but one was starting to solidify in his mind. As if to prove that theory, the animals began to bleat fearfully, their scales dulling and eyes rolling. Just as the tremors started to slow, coming to a stop, the creatures were wailing. Their skin and muscles were rotting away, eyes drying out and shrivelling up inside their skulls, until all that was left of the herd were piles of sun-bleached bones.

Vader was gasping, on his knees, forehead pressed against the grass. He slowly stumbled upright, still clutching his head with both hands. It was beyond strange seeing him like this; no forbidding armour, Force presence suffused with pain, arms wrapped about himself as if scared his body would come apart at the seams. Considering what they had just witnessed, it wasn’t too strange a concept.

Luke opened his mouth as if to ask again, but Obi-Wan answered before he got the chance. “Before, I said that this place uses up victims like a battery?”

The padawan nodded, realisation blowing his eyes wide. “Does Vader know…? We need to get out of here!”

“I…” Obi-Wan stared after the Sith, continuing with his trek back to the homestead. _Did_ he know? Did he know that this was _killing_ _him_ , slowly, from the inside out? “Vader!” He called before he could rethink it.

The Sith froze, fingers clenching, digging into his own skin. Through the Force, he felt like someone suddenly awoken from a deep sleep – murky and blurred with confusion. “Obi-Wan,” He said, voice once again Imperial. But, even those two words shuddered. Only a few metres in front, Vader attempted to straighten, flinching. “What are you doing here?” He didn’t turn around.

The old Jedi took a few steps forward, stopped. He was within arm’s reach of Vader. “This vision is fake,” He said, trying to keep his voice soft. “It is killing you.”

Vader snorted, looked over his shoulder to glare at Obi-Wan. “You think I don’t know?” He turned fully to confront the Jedi, a snarl twisting his face and hands creaking by his sides as he clenched them. “What other choice do I have, _Master_?!” And he had begun to shout, hoarse voice vicious.

“ _Anakin_ …” Obi-Wan whispered, looking up into his best friend’s burnt, mangled face.

“ _That name means **nothing**_ _to me_!!” He bellowed, hands rising to rest on Kenobi’s throat, but stopping just shy of applying pressure. “Do _not_ presume that there is _anything_ of that weak _boy_ left ali-”

Obi-Wan laughed, but it was an awful, broken sound. “Anakin’s padawan!” He almost screamed, “Anakin’s _children_!” Spittle was flying from his mouth. “ _Anakin’s wife_!!”

Vader shoved him away wordlessly, eyes molten. “They mean _nothing_ to m-”

Again, the Jedi laughed. “They are _Anakin Skywalker’s_! Do _not_ tell me you are not him. If I- **_I_** can recognise it, then you must too!”

The Sith said nothing, only glowered at his former master, slowly picking himself up from the floor.

“If you stay here you _will_ die.” Obi-Wan said, sounding hoarse. “Come with me, we _can_ fix thi-”

“Don’t you understand?” Vader finally spoke up. “I am _here_ to die.”

Kenobi let out a breath, winded. “But Ana-”

“You couldn’t do it on the Death Star!” He interrupted, face scrunching up in anguish. “If _I_ did anything, Sidious would just patch me up again! This was my last option. I could die with my _family_! And you’re- you’re taking them from me **_again_**!!” The last word was a roar, and a vast shock wave of energy was released, blasting Kenobi and Luke back, pressing them against the dirt, holding them there. “The least you could’ve done on Mustafar was _kill me_!”

As the cyborg limped away, the older Jedi’s eyes began to drift closed. He fought it, gasping for breath and desperately clawing at consciousness. But, he eventually succumbed.

+++

When Obi-Wan finally opened his eyes again, it was to Luke’s face peering down at him. Kenobi slowly pushed himself upright, until he was sitting semi-comfortably, palms slipping on the coarse sand.

The first thing he noticed, other than his padawan, was the dramatic change in scenery. Instead of the luscious green stretching on forever, everything had become a deserted, lifeless desert. “What happened to all the grass?” He asked automatically. And then promptly remembered what had transpired closely before he had been knocked unconscious and winced. “Luke, I’m so-”

“Another earthquake and everything died, like the last one.” The boy cut in as he lowered himself to sit opposite from Obi-Wan, separated by a few metres. “You’re sorry? For lying to me?”

Kenobi bowed his head. So, he had figured it out. With the shouting match he had just witnessed, that shouldn’t have been a surprise. “Yes.”

Luke didn’t move a muscle. Even through the Force, he felt like a burning ball of ice fire. “He’s my father, isn’t he?”

The Jedi glanced up; trying to gauge his padawan’s reaction, but the boy’s face was expressionless. He had no idea what to do. Should he excuse himself? Try to make him understand why it had to be done? “Yes.”

“When were you going to tell me?” Finally, an emotion. It was exhaustion – as if the anger from the reveal had swept through him, tearing the energy from him. “Ever?”

“I… I don’t know, son.”

“Don’t call me that.” He snapped, but with little force behind it, then rested his head in his hand. “Does he know?”

Obi-Wan shrugged wearily, stroked his beard. “No, I don’t imagine so.”

“Then we have to tell him.”

“… _What_?” Because he had to have misheard that. Even without believing Vader had killed his father, it was still _Darth Vader_ they were talking about. Luke had been with the Rebellion for long enough to know how evil the man was, hadn’t he? “Why would you want to-”

“Because I just found out my father’s actually alive, and that he’s trying to commit suicide by Sith temple because he thinks his family is dead.” Luke said, calm and collected, despite the sentence that had just exited his mouth. “I’m still alive. If he knows that, he might try and live.” The boy stood, dusted himself off. “Don’t try to stop me, Ben.”

“I won’t, Luke.” Kenobi tried to reassure him, winced as he regained his feet. He wasn’t as young as he used to be. “But remember. This is still Darth Vader. Just because he is your father doesn’t mean he is redeemed.”

“I know.” Luke replied, still scarily calm. “He killed Biggs, remember? You don’t have to tell _me_ who he is. You’ve made sure I know.” Without looking back, he turned towards where, in the distance, the dome rose out of the sand, an almost blinding white in the Tatooine wastes.

Obi-Wan stared after him for a few moments as the form retreated. Of all the families in the galaxy, why had _he_ been saddled with the Skywalkers? With a disgruntled grumble, Kenobi tried to ignore the growing throb in the back of his head and marched after his wayward padawan. The least he could do was protect the boy.

+++

When the two finally arrived back at the homestead, they were walking together, approaching the dome cautiously. “He’s inside,” Luke said.

There were quite a few changes since they had last been there. Aside from everything becoming a desert, the dome had more cracks now, and appeared far more worn. Before, the edges of the entrance had been quite squared off, but this time they were completely rounded, cracks spiralling out from it, the inside in complete darkness. Except for the first step, which was lit by meagre rays of light that managed to sneak in and illuminate it. Obi-Wan approached, and even that small amount was snuffed out by his shadow.

“Luke, are you sure you want to-?”

“Yes,” He said, then promptly pushed past Obi-Wan and headed down. With a sigh, his mentor followed.

Unlike the exterior’s new appearance, the cosy little kitchen had stayed unimposing. Pots, pans and other utensils were stacked next to the sink in a towering pile. Little splashes of what appeared to be an orange-brown soup stained the cooker and countertops, with a few even making it to the floor. From the doorway into the next room, soft conversation and childish giggles.

Luke headed toward it, but was stopped by Obi-Wan’s hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at the older Jedi, confused. “Be careful.”

“I will, Ben.” He smiled. “Don’t worry.”

Then he walked through, disappearing into the dining room. Obi-Wan followed.

Inside, was your average family dinner. Ahsoka and Rex were missing – doing target practise no doubt, but that left Padmé, the twins, vision Obi-Wan and, of course, Vader. Anakin? He was too mentally exhausted at that point to really think about it. He just wanted the entire debacle over, and quickly.

They were eating soup, which seemed to be one of the recipes Obi-Wan remembered from Clone War days, stuck on enemy planets. He had never understood how Anakin had been able to make that soup, no matter which ingredients were on hand. The vision Kenobi was rolling his eyes at whatever his ex-padawan had said, whilst Padmé was laughing quietly, the image of propriety. However, the two children were playing with their food. Apparently dipping bread sticks into their soup, then waving them around like lightsabres was hilarious. Just looking at the mess they were making made him wince – he’d had to deal with it all, though he didn’t think ten-year-old Anakin had been _that_ bad.

Luke stepped into the room, drank in the scene, much like his mentor was doing from the doorway. How would he do it? Just announce their relationship? It was clear, just from the boy’s stance, that he didn’t know either.

If Luke wasn’t going to do it, then maybe they could try some different tactics first? If Vader finding out was avoidable, Obi-Wan was damn-well going to try. He stepped out, beside his charge. “Vader, they aren’t real,” He said, loud enough to be heard over the happy chatter.

Luke shot him a look, which was ignored in favour of shivering as the room fell silent – even the children stopped attacking each other with the soggy, soup-laden breadsticks. Only Vader’s breathing could be heard, his eyes zeroing in on Obi-Wan. “I thought you left,” He ground out, scraping the chair over the floor loudly as he stood, the sound jarring in the almost silence. “It would have been _wise_ of you to leave.”

“I won’t abandon you, not this time.” And it was true. Force help him, it was true. “You have to come with me. We _will_ fix this.” Vader was tensing more and more as he spoke. “You can tell the Rebellion all you know. It’s what Padmé would have wanted-”

Vader snarled, filled with anger. “I told you to leave!” He lashed out with the Force again, pinning Obi-Wan to the wall behind him and flinging Luke to the floor. “Why won’t you?!”

“Because you’re my _brother_ , Anakin!” His chest was compressing, he couldn’t breathe, his ribs felt like they were popping, shattering, _spearing his lungs­_ \- “I love you!”

Vader just let out a broken half-laugh. At his side, Padmé was looking on blankly, slowly becoming more transparent. All the vision’s creations were. But Vader barely noticed, too caught up. “You left me to _burn_!!” He hissed, throwing out his hand, fingers curling in as the Force curled about Obi-Wan, his ribs were cracking, every finger in his right hand suddenly become gravel and he gasped as the pain lanced through him. Vader’s eyes lit up, and he got ready for another twist, to snap his old master’s neck, when the fading image of Padmé spoke up.

“No, Ani… Don’t…” She gasped out, the wall behind her head visible. “You are better than this…”

Before Vader could react, other than a look of utter horror, she was gone. Vision Obi-Wan and the two children followed her.

Luke clambered to his feet, gasping for breath and rushed to his mentor’s side, desperately checked for a pulse, eyes wide with shock. Obi-Wan coughed, let out a yelp as it caused his decimated hand to move. “ _Stars_ , what did he do to you…?” The farm boy asked, stuck between terror and panic.

Behind them, Vader had collapsed to his knees again, mouthing denials to himself, clutching at the air where his wife had been moments before. Then, with a moan of pain, a robotic hand clutched at his skull, strong grip deforming the skin, twisting scars. Again, the ground began to shake but, this time; everything around them was disintegrating, turning to ash. The table between the fallen Jedi and Vader went up in flames, caught onto the chairs and they, too, crumpled into nothing at the fire’s heat. The Sith must have seen what was happening from the corner of his eye – he flinched away with a terrified screech. From the chairs, fire spread to even the stone floor, licking at the walls and their bodies, though it did not set them alight. Vader, despite the apparent harmlessness of them, thrashed, hoarse cries torn from his throat.

To the tune of Vader’s blind panic, the rest of the dome came crashing down atop them. Flames filled Obi-Wan’s vision, and he could see nothing else. Unlike his former padawan, he held onto his Jedi teachings, forcibly reminding himself it was not real until, when he opened his eyes, the fire was gone, the house along with it.

Instead, they were lying on the volcanic shores of Mustafar once again. Luke had his eyes firmly closed, hands tightly fisted in one of Obi-Wan’s sleeves, his face pale. Kenobi placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, which startled his eyes open, their blue panicked. “It’s alright, young one. It was not real; you will come to no harm.” He tried to make it sound like a promise, but their recent experiences had proven how little he would be able to do to keep his charge safe. Even sitting up to address Luke properly had brought excruciating pain. Thankfully, his padawan seemed reassured and slowly let go of his sleeve.

With no small amount of dread, Kenobi twisted, doing his best not to jolt his hand, to peer down the slope, searching for Vader. Thankfully, the man’s appearance didn’t match their new planet – he didn’t know if he could bear seeing him like that again.

Obi-Wan’s relief didn’t last for very long, as his former padawan was curled in on himself, forehead pressed again metal knees, hands clutching himself, entire body juddering every few seconds. Behind him, the lava rushed past, bubbling and every bit as menacing as the first time he’d been on this awful planet. Even in his occasional nightmares, it wasn’t as bad as this.

Kenobi painstakingly made his way to his feet, hand burning every inch of the way, his old bones protesting each small movement as he slowly levered himself upright. Luke, still with wide, uncomprehending eyes as he stared out at the hellish planet, rose with him, reached out when his mentor stumbled, nearly fell. The two faced Vader from their vantage point.

Without a word, Obi-Wan began the descent, Luke by his side.

Beneath their feet, the black sand shifted constantly, burning hot to the touch. The two leant together, each attempting to support the other as they trekked down the slope, slipping on the volcanic slopes. Even with Luke’s thick soles, he could feel the heat, burning through.

Eventually, the two Jedi made it. They were perhaps only a metre from Vader, his prone body still shuddering every so often. Now they were closer, the dry gasps were audible.

Luke grabbed his mentor’s forearm, looked up at him. “What’s wrong with him?” He asked. “What _happened_ here?”

Obi-Wan didn’t want to answer. Even between this hard truth and Luke’s parentage, there was no contest. He didn’t want it to be real. Hiding from what he had _done_ for nineteen years had made it seem like it belonged to another life; a separate one. But the boy deserved – _needed_ to know. “This place, Mustafar… I and Vader, we fought.” He took in a breath of the burning air. “He overestimated his abilities. I… cut off his remaining limbs, and he fell down this slope.” Obi-Wan gestured, the scene occurring in his mind’s eye. The hiss of his lightsabre, his best friend’s screams. “He burnt in the lava.”

Luke didn’t respond, just pushed the older Jedi away. When Kenobi didn’t move, he glowered at him. “If _you_ did all that, and he’s acting like _this_ ,” Luke pointed a finger, “Just because of the planet, I think you should stay _away_.”

That… made sense. “But Luke, he’s _dangerous-_ ”

“He is my father, and he will _not_ hurt me!” The young Jedi replied, sure in his belief.

Obi-Wan watched on, his heart in his mouth, as his second padawan walked down the beach of Mustafar to confront his first.

+++

Luke approached Darth Vader, utterly confused as to what he should do. He knew he had to do something. He knew he had to do it quickly – every wasted second brought his father closer to death. He would not gain him just to lose him.

He reached the cyborg’s side, crouched down. His hand hovered above the older man’s shoulder. “Father…?” He forced out, voice barely loud enough to be heard above the lava’s crackling; he doubted it could penetrate whatever Vader was experiencing. “Father!” He spoke louder, desperation seeping into his tone. He would _not_ lose him!

Vader stirred, his head rising slightly. Luke grasped his shoulder, was about to shake, when the cyborg burst into motion. Suddenly, the Tatooine farm boy was no longer in contact with the ground, but held by his neck by a durasteel arm.

“Who are you?!” His father asked – _demanded_. His eyes were wide, the same colour as the lava flowing past them only a few metres away. “What do you want?” The hand tightened, panicked. “Leave me _alone-_ ”

But Luke cut him off, grasping at the metal arm. “I am your _son_!”

Vader froze; the unnatural colour fled his irises.

“I am Luke _Skywalker_.” The boy gasped out, “You are my father.”

About them, the Force rang with truth. It was like someone had dipped reality in freezing cold water, presented the facts without preamble or doubt. Luke was Vader’s son. It was as true and natural as gravity.

Vader slowly, gently, set his son down, placed his prosthetic hands on Luke’s shoulders and studied his face for a moment, shock and wonder clear on his own. “You’re our _son_ …” He whispered, softly, tenderly.

But the moment wasn’t to last. He gasped, hands reaching for his temples again; the ground began shattering beneath them, opening up to reveal a vast chasm of pure Dark.

“ _Father_!” Luke screamed. He couldn’t lose him. _No_ , he _couldn’t_! Without thinking, he grasped his father’s arm, desperately used every ounce of his strength to yank the man away from that pit of utter _wrongness_. “Wake up!” He yelled, grabbing his face, staring into the scrunched closed eyes. “ _Please_!!”

Obi-Wan, in the background, let out a surprised yelp. Luke twisted to see, but only caught sight of the man’s pale, uncomprehending face as he slipped, fell, plummeted into the chasm. “ _Ben_!!” There was nothing he could do but watch as the Dark tentacles oozed about his mentor, tugged him down and away.

Luke turned back to his father, desperate. “Please, _please_ , this is not real; we’re going to **_die_ -**!”

+++

The young Jedi was clutching his father’s helmet, tears streamed down his face as he trembled. “-we’re going to **_die_** please, _please_ , I just found you, don’t _die-_ ”

Vader’s gloved hand reached up, wrapped gently around his child’s wrist. “I would _never_ let anything happen to you, little one. Do not worry.”

Luke’s eyes snapped open onto the dark temple room, chest heaving and sweat trickling down his face, mingling with panicked tears. “Oh,” He gasped, then fell forwards, embraced his father. “I thought you were going to die…”

“Now that I know of your existence, I shall endeavour to remain alive,” Vader said, awkwardly patting his son’s back, utterly unaware of how to handle the situation, but never wanting it to end. Luke slowly pulled away, smiled. And suddenly remembered the other person who had been in the vision with them.

With a shout, he pulled away, spun, eyes roving desperately to find Obi-Wan. If he had died in the vision, would his body still be in the real world? Would he be comatose? Had he survived? Oh stars, he didn’t know what he would do without Ben… “ _Ben_?” He called, when he couldn’t see the older man. Vader quickly picked up on what he was so panicked about. At first he hesitated, but a single glance at his son’s dire expression made him give in with a sigh.

“Your teacher is here, young one,” He moved slightly, revealing Obi-Wan’s collapsed form.

Luke immediately dove to the older man’s side, checked for a pulse, shook him when he couldn’t find one. “Is he alive?” He asked, frantic.

“I… cannot tell,” Vader replied.

Luke stared at his father’s declaration, unwilling to comprehend what may have just happened. He was not prepared to lose his mentor. Not at _all_. Just as he was about to start shouting at his father, demanding the impossible, Obi-Wan stirred.

He gasped, coughed, eyes flickered open. The first thing he saw was his padawan’s relieved expression, “Don’t worry, Luke,” He managed to cough out, “It’ll take more than that to kill me.”

“Good,” Luke replied breathlessly, a laugh bubbling up. “I haven’t finished my training just yet.”

Vader interrupted, “You will not need him to continue your training, my son,” His voice was deep and ominous once again, almost impossible to read any emotion from with his vocoder.

“What do you mean?” He said it more as a challenge than anything else – he knew who his father was.

“I _will_ be taking you into Imperial custody-”

Obi-Wan cut in, sitting up, glowering at the Sith. “And will you be doing this with Luke’s consent?”

“I do not require it, I am his _fath-_ ”

“That does _not_ give you an automatic right to him, Anakin!”

Behind his mask, Vader scowled. “How _dare you-_ ”

“Because, if you think trying to get Luke to comply _forcibly_ will work, you are _very_ wrong. You still have much to learn.” Obi-Wan cocked his head, stroked his beard, a thoughtful expression upon his face. “However, if you came with us, helped the Alliance, I have no doubt that Luke would be happy to do father-son bonding with you…”

Luke glanced sideways at his tutor, a small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, father. Help the Alliance – you can protect me better if I’m willing.” Then, a hard look entered his eyes. “Capture me, put me on an Imperial ship, and I will never co-operate.”

It didn’t take Vader long to make up his mind. “ _Fine_ , I shall help you and your insignificant band of traitors. But _only_ because you give me no other choice.”

Luke’s face split with a massive grin. “I knew you’d make the right decision,” And, since he didn’t have the restraint of his father, gave the man a hug.

+++

**Author's Note:**

> So... Did you like it? This is my first completed work with more than 4,000 words or one chapter, so I'm pretty damn pleased with myself.
> 
> The main aim of this was to combine tension & angst with fluffy bull for the ultimate amount of emotional pain. So. Did I succeed? How'd you find it?
> 
> Kudos and comments keep my little evil author heart going! I appreciate criticism, as well as gushing about how cute these babs are. Genuinely; comment whatever. It will brighten my day incredibly :D
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ~Ommallaredpanda.


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